Schalmont's Nick Gallo celebrates his win over Forrest Kubricky of Hadley-Luzerne/Lake George in the 182 lb. class Division 2 final during the Section II Wrestling Tournament at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014 in Glens Falls, N.Y. (Dan Little/ Special to the Times Union)

Nick Gallo earned his fourth straight trip to the state wrestling championship on Sunday at Times Union Center, where he captured the Section II Division II title at 182 pounds.

A state runner-up last year as a sophomore, Gallo is one of three Schalmont wrestlers who prevailed at Glens Falls Civic Center.

Q: How special was it for you as a team to have three guys advance to the state tournament?

A: It meant a lot. To have my wrestler partners Tim Flower and Marcus Ramundo going to the states with me is tremendous. Now, I'm not going it alone. I have my friends involved.

Q: You have experience competing at the state level. Are you going to try to help Tim and Marcus understand how different it is for that first match?

A: There are a lot of things going on in that first match. The crowd is really loud and you almost can't even hear. Your coaches are trying to talk to you and you are just looking forward. You think you will know how it will be, but you really don't.

Q: Because you have that experience in the state tournament, do you feel better prepared to handle what is coming up over the next two weeks?

A: Most definitely. The first time you are there, there is definitely a 'wow factor' to deal with. It is a big stage. It is definitely one of the best feelings of your life to compete in every match you have there — win or lose.

Q: Did you have a preseason goal after finishing second in 2013?

A: My goal in life is to graduate college and play college football. My goal is to win a state championship, but my overall goal is win the first period of my first match and take it from there. I really wanted to have my partners there, and they are.

Q: What would it mean if you could win a state championship after being so close in football?

A: I would get to join my sister as a state champion. I took second last year and the kid I lost to (Warsaw's Burke Paddock) is going to Iowa, so I walked off the mat with a big smile because I wanted to place. I walked up to my family and said, 'Welcome to the runner-up club, I guess.' I want to get out of that club and join my sister with a state championship.

Honor roll

A look at this past week's top performers:

Marcus Ramundo, Schalmont wrestling: Advanced to his first state tournament Sunday with a 4-2 victory over Cohoes' Nick Scott at 285 pounds.